Government

D. W. Lawhorne, Bed-ford’s director of public works, told Bedford Town Council last week the town has given out 770 of the new trash carts to town residents. The carts come in 95 gallon and 65 gallon sizes.
“We figured that big container would be enough for everyone,” Lawhorne told Council. He said the 95 gallon size is the standard size for a family of four.

An organization called “Wives Behind the Badge” has gotten rolling in Bedford County. Wives Behind the Badge is an organization of people married to law enforcement officers.

“It’s a national program throughout the United States,” said Kathy Hatcher, who is spearheading the local organization. She said they are still getting organized under the auspices of the national organization’s Virginia Auxiliary.

The Bedford County Nursing Home held an employee appreciation lunch for its staff, recently. According to Toni Pierce, the Home holds employee events several times each year.

“They do a very good job,” she said of the Home’s employees.
“They know the residents,” Pierce added. “They know what people like to eat, how they like their hair fixed.”
Pierce said the nursing home, which can accommodate 90 people, runs full most of the time.

A proposal to locate a recycling and trash collection station near the intersection of Va. 24 and Drewrys Hill Road (Va 886) in Stewartsville drew opposition from people who live in close proximity to the proposed site at a meeting of the Bedford County Planning Commission last week.

Sheriff Mike Brown officially announced his candidacy for another term as Bedford County’s sheriff before an audience of more than 100 people who filled the conference room at Central Virginia Community College’s Bedford campus last week. Brown was first elected in 1995.

Robert Carson, town councilman and chairman of the Bedford Chapter of the NAACP, introduced Brown.

Fire and rescue issues dominated Monday night’s board of supervisors meeting.
Forest Fire Department Chief Monty Coleman, speaking to the supervisors, said that it is still difficult for fire companies to set budgets and some of the smaller fire departments in the county are in the red.
“We need to look at raising the base amount,” said Coleman.

Bedford Town Council held a discussion on the possibility of building a dog park at Greenwood Park.
According to Councilman Beckham Stanley, a survey showed that 75 percent of town residents favor a dog park. He told council that the park can be built with private money. Stanley said Jamie Snell. a fencing contractor, has offered to make a $4,600 in-kind donation for fencing and James Jones, a local excavation contractor, has offered to help. According to Stanley, the Bedford Humane Society will keep it clean.

About half of the town of Bedford’s residential solid waste customers will be receiving carts for their trash within the next six weeks.

The town is implementing a new cart system for its solid waste collection in order to help streamline the pickup process. Council approved, in this year’s budget, purchasing 1,100 carts to be handed out to half the customers; it is expected to provide funding for the rest of the town’s customers next year.

Bedford County’s supervisors approved a special use permit, Monday evening, for Blue Ridge Montessori School to build a new facility on Va. 811.
But the project isn’t without its detractors.
In all, it is a 13-acre wooded tract — the school wants to use 7 acres of it in an area zoned R-2. A school is a permitted use in an R-2 zone and requires a special use permit.